Annie’s Annuals is a great source of live plants that are not carried by the big-box stores. They are the equivalent of an indie-record store (an analogy for those over 40).

Yamagami Nursery is my local nursery for live plants in the Sunnyvale/Cupertino area. They also carry a big selection from Annie’s Annuals. Address: 1361 S De Anza Blvd #2, Cupertino, CA 95014 Phone:(408) 252-3347 Hours: Open today · 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

The Crosswinds Nursery in New Jersey runs the ChilePlants.com website. It is an excellent source of live plants. Order in early April when planting in Sunnyvale California. As of Dec 2014, they offer 500 varieties of chile peppers; 180 varieties of tomatoes; and 65 varieties of Eggplants

Gary Ibsen’s tomatofest  is our website for Tomato seeds. Every christmas, I get a gift from my wife of 12 types of tomatoes.

You should start prevention of garden problems before a single seed is planted. Resist the temptation to just start digging. Instead, observe your garden. What parts receive sun and for how long? Where does water accumulate or drain?

Most of the defensive actions discussed here are organic remedies for a host of diseases and animal pests. Plant Maintenance Avoid deep planting Water from below Water before noon Don’t work around or touch wet plants Don’t touch healthy plants after working with diseased plants Avoid high-nitrogren fertilizers Feed the soil with compost Mulch in spring and fall Control weeds …

The Summerwinds Nursery chain is my source of ceramic pots. Typically they have the best prices. Summerwinds carries the dwarf citrus line from Four Winds Growers. They also carry the Monrovia line.

Mission Peak gets throngs of hikers but only a few trekkers take this route to the summit — an eight-mile out-and-back that stretches out the 2,000-foot ascent to the summit (the most-popular route ascends a similar height in a 5.2-mile out-and-back). It starts from the parking lot at Ohlone College along Mission Boulevard in Fremont, California. Just one trail — …

Duveneck Windmill Pasture OSP is oak meadowland at the top of a ridge, 1200 feet up Black Mountain, between Rancho San Antonio OSP and Hidden Villa. In 1867 G.W. Moody built a road from the Mountain View train station and a stagecoach stop and inn (the White House) for a stage running from San Jose to Pescadero. The White House was also known …

Early Girl is well suited to a technique known as “dry farming”. Researchers at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are among those who have described the technique: not watering tomatoes after transplanting, forcing the roots to grow deeper to seek out moisture, producing more “concentrated flavor,” and saving water. Dry-farmed …